


Blood and Rust: WWIII in the Midwest

by Soupernova



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Battle Epic, Cold War, Drama, Gen, Military, Tragedy, War, World War III
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-01
Updated: 2019-08-09
Packaged: 2020-07-28 13:07:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20064520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Soupernova/pseuds/Soupernova
Summary: A Trotskyite Coup in the Soviet Union leads to a first strike on NATO. Nations and Heroes rise and fall, as the world is once again engulfed in the flames of war. When the war goes poorly for the United States, the fate of the world will be decided outside a small town in Indiana...





	1. Prologue 1

Prologue 1  
April 3, 1985

It was a quiet morning in Moscow. Most people were still sleeping, as it was still dark and frigid outside. Nevertheless, a lone car sped towards the Kremlin. The car was black, unmarked, and had tinted windows. In the front passenger seat sat Vladimir Drogonov. Though in his early sixties, he was still ruggedly handsome and muscular. Behind him sat two armed KGB operatives, and a Spetsnaz colonel sat behind the wheel.

The four men sat in silence, though adrenaline coursed their veins. They were about to make history, for good or ill. Drogonov had been gathering supporters for months, and the time had come to save the motherland from the gang of criminals who now ran it. The revolution would be resumed. The legacy of Lenin and Trotsky would be preserved, and he felt as if their ghosts now watched him.

The weak and impotent Oligarchs who had seized power in his beloved motherland would be ousted. The pathetic westerners who they secretly aspired to be would be crushed as well. The Permanent Revolution would finally become a reality, as Lenin had intended.

The car had reached the Kremlin. Without a word, the men exited the vehicle. Waiting for them were a group of uniformed soldiers and KGB agents. The plan was proceeding perfectly. Vladimir gave the signal, and the group split apart, each man sprinting to his predetermined position. The four from the car walked forward towards the Politburo building. 

They were let in by the guards, and barged into the meeting room. Gorbachev was there, an amusing look of shock on his face. Romanov and Kirilenko rose to their feet, too late. The shooting began immediately. Within 30 seconds, every single member of the Politburo of the Soviet Union was dead. The bodies were quickly removed, and unceremoniously incinerated.

With the revisionist scum dealt with, Drogonov prepared to give an address to the Soviet people. The nation would be rebuilt, and he would see to it that the Dictatorship of the Proletariat would emerge victorious.

Within days of gaining power, Drogonov had made many changes. The first act was the change of the national anthem. The Internationale would again represent the people of the Revolution. He then forced the Central Committee to vote him total power. They were then declared enemies of the state and liquidated.

His next act was the most important, "The Act of Preparation for the Liberation of the Workers of the World". For reasons of practicality and security, it would not be announced until all troops were in position. The workers of the west would be liberated soon enough.

The military had almost unanimously backed his coup, and already had plans to launch Operation Budyonny. Three fronts would attack the NATO forces in Europe at once. Front 1 would attack through the Fulda Gap, Front 2 would invade Austria and Bavaria, and Front 3 would cross the Yugoslavian border, either force their compliance or occupy them, and overwhelm the Greek and Turkish armies in the Southern Balkans and Anatolia.

Drogonov approved the plan, and it was greenlit for August 1. The buildup would have to be gradual, and the attack sudden and overwhelming. The workers of the world must be freed, and the capitalist oppressors purged. It was up to him.


	2. Prologue 2

Prologue 2  
August 1st, 1985.  
Fulda Gap, West Germany  
8:00 AM  
Zero Hour

The noise had been deafening. Explosion after explosion. The ground had been churned so much that it was unrecognizable. Private Alexander Ross had thankfully been in his bunker when the shelling had started. Nevertheless, his ears and head were pounding.  
His Grandfather had fought in the First World War, and had told stories of the intensity of the shelling. But nothing could have prepared him for the horrifying reality of the opening barrage of the Third. NATO forces had been on alert since the Soviet coup, but he had never actually expected the anticipated attack to come. Now, whistles were blowing and officers shouting.  
He came out of his daze; the shelling had stopped. This meant the Reds were on their way. He grabbed his M16 Rifle and leapt to his feet. In an adrenaline driven madness, he rushed out of the bunker to his firing position. Out of the smoke and morning mist, he saw them. Several APC's were driving towards the American lines. As he watched in horrified fascination, the vehicles briefly stopped, and Russian soldiers climbed out of them.  
He could hear their shouts. They screamed a long, terrifying battle cry, "Uraaaaaaa!"  
As they charged towards him, he realized this was it. World War III had begun. Instinctively, he opened fire. His comrades did the same, and the chatter of Machine Guns soon joined the chorus of rifle fire. The Russians continued their attack despite the fire. Dozens fell at a time, forming a ghastly carpet of dead and dying men. Anti Tank guns began to join the symphony of death, and the Soviet vehicles began to explode in spectacular geysers of flame and shrapnel.  
Still the Russians came on in a human tidal wave. Man after man fell, some of their comrades tripping over them. Explosions of thrown hand grenades and their own vehicles blasted them apart, tearing huge gaps in the infantry attack. The gaps disappeared just as quickly, plugged with fresh enemies. The dreaded sound of tanks could now be heard. Two Soviet tanks soon appeared ahead of him. The Soviet troops had now reached the forward trenches, and their armor soon helped them overrun them.  
Ross was now facing an oncoming tank. Its turret turned, and fired a shell. The MG nest on his right exploded in a burst of flame. Someone fired a rocket at the side of it, and the tank burst apart like a tinfoil wrapped potato. There was no time for celebration, as the other tank was closing, along with three more APC's. The command to fall back was given, and Ross turned to flee. A bullet struck him in the side almost immediately, and he collapsed to the ground. Soviet soldiers soon passed him and overran the position entirely.  
As he lay on the ground, he thought of home.  
Hawkins seemed a distant memory, but he tried to form the picture in his mind. The last thought he ever had was of the house he had grown up in.


	3. Over the Precipice

Chapter 3  
Over the Precipice  
August 25th to October 1st, 1985.

TERRIBLE CARNAGE IN WEST GERMANY! WARSAW PACT BREAKTHROUGH! AT LEAST 235,000 CASUALTIES SINCE OUTBREAK!

The Hawkins post continued to report on the war in Europe, with the news steadily getting worse day after day. Since the war broke out, The Party had paid close attention to the newspaper for the first time. They had scarcely believed it when the news first came. It had been Will who saw it first. After spending the night at his house, the group woke up to Will's frantic shaking of them. When asked what on earth was the matter, he had dropped the newspaper on the floor.

Mike had picked it up and stared blankly for a full 10 seconds before speaking, “It’s, it’s- w-” He had stammered, “World War Three just started.” The looks on the others' faces were indescribable. This could not have been real. The world certainly wasn’t about to be plunged into devastating, horrendous conflict. 

“Bullshit!” Dustin had exclaimed, “I am not falling for another stupid prank. Give me the paper!” Mike had turned the paper over without a word, and within half a second of reading the headline, his face drained of color. His reaction was enough to tell the others that this was for real. War was upon the world once again, and they would have to learn to live with it.

From that time on, everything felt surreal; life continued as normal, but the word on everyone's mouth was war and only war. The United States had declared a state of General Mobilization on August 2nd. The mood had been bizarre. American Flags were suddenly everywhere, and bands could be seen playing martial music outside of the Town Hall on a near daily basis.

For the first week, the cry of, "on to Moscow" was nearly omnipresent from younger people. People who had not been old enough to remember the national trauma of Vietnam. However, the fact that the war was not going at all in that direction rapidly became apparent. Hawkins had its first casualty in the first 2 hours of the war, and the news of it was a wakeup call to everyone who had fallen for the time-honored delusion of believing a war to be short and decisive.

Private Alexander Ross, Killed in Action at the Fulda Gap, August 1st, 1985. He was the first Hawkins boy killed in the war, but everyone was terrified that he wouldn't be the last. With the General Mobilization, the draft had been implemented once again in the United States. The reserves had been called up immediately, and the thought of conscription was on the minds of many young men.

The Party was particularly worried about Steve and Jonathan. Both were of military age, and the idea of either of them being sent into the meat grinder was horrifying. Will became increasingly worried about his brother with each passing day, and the others had no real way of comforting him. “Damn,” Mike thought, “Will just can’t catch a break.” Will had had so much go wrong in his life, and Mike felt terrible for him. Bullying, a pathetic excuse for a father, being literally abducted and traumatised by a horrific creature, and now thinking of his brother being forced to fight in what was rapidly becoming a bloody, inconclusive stalemate.

Mike wished he could do something to help, and took extra care to be nice to Will. Will seemed to appreciate it, but was still depressed and anxious nearly all the time. 

Despite it all, life had to continue. School would start soon, and the last of summer would have to be enjoyed even with the war. However, no matter how much fun was being had, in the back of everyone’s mind was the nagging thought and reminder that while they were playing, thousands were dying.

By late August, when the newest casualty figures were posted, school gave some relieving distraction. Homework was a newly appreciated experience, as it helped to take everyone's mind off the war.

However, compared to what they had been through, and now compared to what the world was going through, everyday problems seemed pathetically pointless. Stress related to schoolwork was no comparison to fighting cosmic horrors or the thought of dear friends and family being butchered on the other side of the Atlantic.

By mid September, the news reported that the Soviet advance had finally been halted at the Rhine, with NATO forces digging in on the West Bank. Both sides had nearly crippled each other in the intense fighting of the past month and a half. Soviet casualties had reached an estimated 450,000, and NATO 195,000.

Yugoslavia, Albania, Austria, and Greece had been totally occupied by Warsaw Pact troops, along with most of West Germany and Finland. The Soviet steamroller had lost momentum, and the advance had stalled almost everywhere. Pessimists said it would be another World War I, with an entire generation thrown away for next to no result. Optimists said the counterattack would soon begin, and the red menace would be repelled. Realists were simply appalled at the body count, and hoped for a negotiated settlement.

For the next two weeks, bloody fighting continued along the entire front, with minimal change of territory. Aachen and Cologne were heavily damaged by bombing and house to house fighting. However, every passing day saw less and less intensity of the fighting. The hope for an armistice now seemed possible, and a glimmer of hope appeared on the horizon.

However, events would soon transpire that would make any negotiated peace impossible, and raise the stakes to a level no one could have possibly imagined. The United States would be forced to undergo its greatest test since the Civil War, and carnage on a scale that would be nigh-impossible for anyone in Hawkins to conceive would soon be a reality.


End file.
